NCJ Number
203652
Date Published
2003
Length
55 pages
Annotation
This document discusses gang and gang-related crimes in Arizona.
Abstract
In Arizona, authorities track three types of gangs: street, prison, and motorcycle. This report focuses on street and prison gangs. Although available intelligence and information is more limited and data on motorcycle gangs are often found in "syndicate crime" databases, future reports may focus on the magnitude and impact of motorcycle gangs. In June 2002, surveys were distributed to 168 criminal justice agencies. These surveys were designed to capture gang-related information from criminal justice agencies for 2001. The survey results identified several important findings related to the criminal justice system and gangs. First, criminal justice agencies have made meaningful advancements in their response to gang activity. The State has established objective standards to identify and monitor gang members. More than 80 percent of criminal justice agencies use the Gang Member Identification Criteria to identify gang members within their jurisdiction. Arizona has also placed greater emphasis on community-based prevention programs, recognizing that a proactive response to gangs may be much more effective than a reactive response. The State continues to expend a significant amount of resources on programs aimed at providing at-risk youth with alternatives other than gang involvement. The development of a gang-related needs assessment will greatly improve the State's ability to develop and implement focused prevention and intervention strategies for youth. Fifty-three percent of the criminal justice agencies responding to the survey indicated that gangs are either "one of the serious public safety issues they face" or a "medium serious public safety issue" in their jurisdiction. Fifty-five percent also indicated that when compared to 2000, the gang problem in 2001 was "staying the same," 25 percent reported that the gang problems was "getting worse," and only 16 percent indicated that the gang problem was "getting better." More than half of the agencies indicated that gang members participate in drug activities, aggravated assault, robbery, larceny theft, burglaries, and motor vehicle thefts. 11 tables, 3 charts, 3 appendices